Spotlight



'Feb.13,1923. 1,445,245

A. L. STAPLES SPOTLIGHT Filed Dec. 19', 1921 N VEN TOR. rf ar l ,Sia/ales ATTORNEY.

ia, reas.

arented l" anaal-i5 ARTHR L. STAPLES, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, .ASSIGNOR T0 WINC-IESTER REPEATING. ARMSCOI'JIPANY, 0F NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CEPORATION 0F CONNECTICUT.

SPOTLIGHT.

Application filed December 19, 1921. Serial No. 523,258.

To ail whom t may con cer/1i Be it known that I, An'rHUn L, Sri-wins,

a citizen ot the United States, residing at New Haven, in the county ot N ew Haven, State ot Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spotlights; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

- The present invention relates to battery hand lamps of the. type disclosed and claimed in my co-pendingY application, Serial Number 509,885, filed October Q-ith, 1,921., wherein the character of the beam of light can be altered by varying the relative position of the lamp and reflector.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a hand lamp in which the reflector has a substantially fixed position in the casing, and in which thedesiredy change in the character of the beam of light delirered b y the hand lamp` is effected by shifting the bulb with respect to the reflector.

In the preferred embodiment, the battery is permitted to shift axially with the lamp bulb.

It is a 'further object of the present invention to compactly group the several ele` ments, to provide for the use ot a casing of minimum length, to provide for easy manufacture and assembly oi the sei/eral parts, to providey for easy access to various parts of the. hand lamp mechanism, as tor purposes of repair', to insure against shortcircuiting ot the battery and inadvertent lighting of the lamp, and to secure other objects and advantages as hereinafter pointed out more at length.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a sectional eleva-tion ot one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section ot Athe same embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 8 3 of Y Fig. l.

Fig. t is a section Fig. 1.

FigY 5 is a. perspectiveview ot a modified form ot lamp supporting bridge.

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of an adjusting collar suitable for use with the bridge of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of still anon the line t-ii ot other modiiied form of lamp supporting` bridge.

cell rests on and makes electrical connection with a coil spring 3., carried by a metal bottom cap 4, threaded to a collar 5 onr casing l.-

A metal strip G, conne-cts collar 5 with the switch housing 7, in conformity with usual practice. l

At the opposite, or front end, .of casing l, and forming a partthereot, is atlaring metal head 8, fastened tothe fiber tube by rivets 9 and having its front portion threaded to receive a lens supporting ring l0. 'A reiector 11, substantially parabolic in outline, has its outer fla-nge gripped between collar l0 and the front edge of' head v8, so that the reflector is clamped in lixed relation to the casing. The lens l2 may be plane, as shown, or it may be curved. y f

The incandescent lamp bulb'l is threaded into lamp sup-port comprising a cylindrical block 14, ot insulating material. A metal` rivet l5 passes through the bottom ot the block and makes electrical connection between the inner lamp termi-nal and the upper electrode i6 of the battery. Electrical connection to the threaded orouter terminal of the lamp is made through a yielding contact tinger 17, bent up from a metalplatc 18, which is permanently held against the bottom of the lamp-supporting block le by the centralrivet 15. f An annular flange on the bottom of block 1.4L- and an .insulating washer 19 keep this metal plate out of electrical ctmnection with rivet 15. This metal plate 1S has a linger, or lug, 20, (Fig. f5) against which yieldingly bears the inwardly bent end ot a stationary conductive strip Q1. This strip is securedl to the .Fiber tube by a rivet 2Q, and its rear end 23- is bent up to pass out through a slit in the liber tube so that it may serve as one of the contacts ot a manually Operative switch `mechanism.

The switch mechanism comprises a thumbactuated push.y button 24 at one end of a yielding conductor fastened to and in. electrical connection with housing` T by a rivet By inward pressure on the push button 9.41, electrical connection can be established between the bottom electrode of the battery and the outer terminal of the lamp. A sliding thumb piece 26 carries a linger 27 which, on inward pressure of the push button 9A, will disengage from a slot in said yielding conductor and can be pushed forward to hold the switch in position for continually lighting the lamp.

The insulating block 14, into which the incandescent lamp is threaded, fits tightly within a bridge 28, whereby it can be moved axially of the hand lamp to adjust the position of the lamp bulb with respect to reflector 11. The inner edge of reflector 11 terminates in an extension Q9, through which the lamp support 14E can freely slide.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, the lamp supporting bridge is a sheet metal stamping, having three rigid arms 30, 31 and 32, each of which passes through a longitudinal slot in the liber tube and is engaged by an adjustable sleeve comprising two elements, 33 and 34, flanged together as shown in Fig. 1, and having threaded engagement with the rear portion of the flaring metal head 8. It is of course obvious that the bridge 28 may be made of solid metal and having three rigid solid metal arms such as the integral arms of the embodiment shown in Figure 5. This bridge is electrically insulated from the metal plate 18 and its finger 20 by an annular flange 35 on block 14C. The block fits so snugly within a' central opening in the bridge that it is not likely to rotate therein during normal use of the hand lamp.

In the arrangement above described, the battery circuit is from battery terminal 16 through rivet 15 to the inner terminal of the lamp, then through the lamp to finger 17, plate 18, and lug 20, and then through conductor 21, push button 24C, housing 7, conductor 6, collar 5, cap l and spring 3 to the other terminal of the battery.

rEhe lamp can be flashed, as in signaling by the Morse code, or it can be burned continuously, by suitable manipulation of the elements 24; and 26. The character of. the beam of light can be varied at will by rotating the adjusting sleeve and thereby causing the lamp supporting bridge to travel along t-he slots in the fiber casing, thus moving the lamp bulb with respect to the reflector and so changing the spread of the beam of light delivered by the reflector.

The coil spring 3 at the bottom of the casiinzY holds the battery always in contact with rivet 15, irrespective of the forward or bach- Vward movements of the lamp supporting bridge and the resultant axial movements of the lamp and battery.

ln [he embodiment illustrated in Figures 5 land 6, the lamp supporting bridge 36 is of solid metal, excepting that arm 37 is initially separate from the remainder of ythe bridge and is slipped into position and soldered fast, after the'bridge has been installed in the adjusting sleeve 3S. rlhis permits the use of a one piece adjusting sleeve as shown in Fig. 6.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, the supporting bridge 39 is of relatively thin sheet metal and initially has its arms bent at 40 (Fig. 8) so that the arms can be introduced into the one piece adjusting sleeve of Fig. 6. When once in place, the bend at l0 is flattened out as indicated in dotted lines and the bridge then is permanently mounted in the adjusting` sleeve and is ready for the introduction of the insulating lamp supporting block 14E.

Other changes in details of construction and in mode of assembly can be made withont departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

In the embodiments shown in the drawings, the tube casing is of insulating material, but the present invention is applicable to a metal casing by merely insulating the conductor 21 from the casing, in known manner. The battery is well protected against short circuit, and inadvertent lighting of the lamp will not occur when the hand lamp is laid on a metal surface or placed among metal tools.

1 claim: j

1. In a hand lamp, the combination of a casing, a battery and a lamp therein arranged coaXia-lly thereof, a reflector for said lamp, and screw threaded means surrounding said casing for positively moving said lamp with respect to said reflector to change the spread of the beam of light delivered by said lamp, said screw threaded means being adapted to move 'said lamp progressively as said means is turned.

2. In a hand lamp, the combination of easing, a battery and a lamp therein, a reflector for said lamp, and means encircling and threaded to the front end of said casing for moving said'lamp with respect to said reflector to change the spread of the beam of light delivered by said hand lamp.,

3, ln a hand lamp, the combination of a casing, a battery and a lamp therein.v a reflector for said lamp, an adjustable sleeve encircling the front end of, said casing, and

means actuated by said sleeve for moving of said reflector to change the spread of the beam of light delivered by said hand lamp, and Screw threaded means associated `with said lirst named means for positively moving said first named means along said slots as said screw threaded means is turned.

In a battery hand lamp, the combination of a casing having longitudinal slots., a batt-ery and a lamp in said casing, a reflector forsaid lamp, a bridge in which said lamp is supported, and means encircling and threaded to said casing for moving said bridge and lamp `with respect to said reflector to change the spread of the beam of light delivered by said hand lamp.

G. In a hand lamp, the combination of a casing, a battery and a lamp therein, a reflector for said lamp, an adjusting sleeve encircling the front end of said casing, and a bridge by which said lamp is supported, said bridge being inengagement with said adjusting sleeve to move said lamp with respect to said reflector When the character of the beam of light delivered by said hand lamp is to be altered. j

7, In a hand lamp the combination of' a casing, a battery anda lamp therein arranged coaxially thereof, a reflector for said lamp having a cylindrical extension, an insulating lamp support mfounted to slide in said extension, an' adjustable sleeve encircling and threaded to the front end of said casing, and means actuated by said sleeve for moving said lamp support along the axis of' said reflector to change the spread of the beam of light delivered by said hand lamp.

S. In a hand lamp the combination of a casing, a battery and a reflector arranged coaxially Within said casing, a cylindrical lamp support of insulating material mounted to move along the axis of said refiector, a lamp in said support, an adjusting` sleeve threaded to the end of said casing, a bridge actuated by said adjusting sleeve and operatively connected to move said insulating lamp support and thereby change the char acter of the beam of light delivered bysaid hand lamp, a closure for the rear end of said casing, and a coiled spring carried by said closure and urging said battery toward said lamp to maintain electrical connection with the inner terminal of the lamp .regardless of its axial movements.

9. In a battery hand lamp the combination of a casing having longitudinal slots, a reflector in said casing having a tubular extension, an insulating lamp support positioned to slide along said extension, a lamp threaded therein and a bridge carrying said lamp support and having arms extending through and movable along said longitudinal slots; substantially as described.

10. In a hand lamp the combination of a casing having longitudinal slots, a metal bridge having rigid arms passed through lie'ctor for said lamp, a sleeve encircling the front end of said casing, means actuated by said sleeve fory moving said lamp with respect to said reflector to change the spread of the beam of light delivered by said hand lamp, and a coiled spring at the rear end of said casing urging said battery toward said lamp to maintain electrical connection therewith irrespective of axial movement of said lamp. f

l2. In, a hand lamp the combination of a casing. a battery therein, a'flaring metal head rigidly attached to the front end of said, casing, a lens holder threaded to said head, a reector clamped between said holder and the end of said head, a lamp support mounted -to slide in and out of said reflector, a lamp coaxially with said casing and carried by said support, an adjusting sleeve threaded to said flaring metal head, a bridgel actuated by said adjusting sleeve and adapted to shift said lamp support along the axis of said casing and thereby change the character of the beam of light delivered by said hand lamp, a, closure for the rear end of said casing, and a spring carried by said closure and urging said battery to- Ward'said lamp to maintain electrical connection With the inner terminal of the lamp regardless of its axial adjusting movements.

13. s In a hand lamp the combination of a casing, a battery therein, a flaring metal head rigidly attached to the front end of said casing, a lens holder threaded to said head, a reflector clampedbetween said holder and the end of said head, said reflector having a cylindrical extension, a cylindrical lamp support of insulating material mounted to slide in the extension of said reflector, a lamp coaxial With said casing and threaded into said support, an adjusting sleeve threaded to said flaring metal head,` a metal bridge actuated byfsaid adjusting sleeve and having an opening in which the insulating lamp support fits tightly so that said sup-- port will move with said` bridge axially of said hand lamp and thereby changing the character of the beam of light delivered by said hand lamp, a closure for the rear end of said casing, and a coiled spring carried by said closure and urging said battery toward said lamp to maintain electrical connection with the inner terminal of the lamp regardless of its axial adjusting movements.

let. In a handdamp the conibinatinn ot a casing, a battery therein, a flaring metal head rigidly attached tothe liront end oi': said casing, a lens holder threaded tosaid head, a reflector clamped between said holder and the end ot said head, said reflector having a cylindrical extension7 a cylindrical. lamp support of insulating material mounted, to slide in the extension of said reflector, a lamp coaxial with said casing` and threaded. into said support, a plate carried by said support and having a yielding linger in contact with the outer lamp terminal, a lug on said metal plate, a conductor yieldingly bearing` against said lug, an adjusting sleeve threaded to said Haring metal head, a metal bridge actuated by said adjusting` sleeveand having an opening in which the insulating` lamp support lits tightly so that said support will move With said bridge axially of said hand lamp and thereby change the character ot the beam of light delivered by said hand lamp, a closure for the rear end of said casing, a coiled spring carried by' said closure and urging` said battery toward said lamp to maintain electrical connection with the inner terminal of the lamp regard less of its axial movement, and switch iaaaeae mechanism between said coiled spring` and saidl yielding' conductors.

l5. in va hand lamp, the combination of a casin` a battery and a lamp arranged co-axially Within said casing, a reflector for vsaid lamp, a sleeve encircling` the front end ci' said casing, and means actuated by said sleeve for moving said lamp with respect to saidv reflector to change the spread of the beam et light delivered by said hand lamp.

16. ln a hand lamp, the combination of a casing, a battery and a lamp therein, a reflector for said lamp, and a sleeve encircling the front end of said casing and threaded thereto, said sleeve being operatively connected Yfor moving said lamp with respect to said reflector to change the spread oit the beam of light delivered by said hand lamp.

17. In a hand lamp, the combination of a casing',r a battery and a lamp therein, a re- Hector for said lamp, anadjustable sleeve I encircling the front end of said casing, and means actuated bysaid sleeve for moving said lamp With respect to said reflector to change the spread of the beam of light delivered by said hand lamp.

ln testimony whereof I alli); my signature.

ARTHUR L. STAPLES. 

